Five Times Moreau Extracted Revenge
by Zee-Zee Magee
Summary: We all know Moreau is bound to return in search of vengeance. This puppy is just five examples of how that could happen. There's even a special surprise in the end. Everybody's getting in the mess in this one. N/S and H/P
1. Poison

**A/N:** _I don't own Leverage and am patiently waiting for a Moreau return in the series._

"_You attack the heart," Green Goblin, Spiderman_

Sophie quickly poured the bottle of whiskey down the drain. She added her shot to the mix in relief. She quickly set about the kitchen in search of every hidey-hole Nate had for his liquor. It was all going to go down the drain.

"I've taken care to learn everything there is to know about you, Ford," Moreau explained with a sadistic smile on his face.

Hardison and Parker stared at the computer screen. Eliot and Nate were trying to figure out who the victim was.

"I know your every move," Moreau continued, "Your every escape plan. I know where you sleep, where you eat, and where you drink. I know everything, Ford. I know everything."

Sophie quickly finished pouring the last bottle of vodka down the drain. She removed her earbud from her ear and stared at what she was about to do. She poured herself a glass of Nate's favorite whiskey, the only bottle left untouched. She raised it to the sky in salute.

"I know your favorite food, your favorite drink, your favorite color."

Hardison suddenly started typing away on his computer as the video continued to roll. Parker was already on her way to the front seat. The hacker tossed her the keys and the engine started.

Eliot took one look at Nate and jumped. The mastermind was chalk white and looked like he wasn't even breathing. His mouth stood agape and his eyes were wide with deep desperate fear. The hitter dropped his phone in realization.

Moreau smiled a satanic smile of victory. "I even know who you love."

Sophie dropped the earbud into the shot glass and watched it fizzle in protest. She immediately dumped the bottle of whiskey and quickly dropped the earbud, shot glass and all, down the drain. She turned on the garbage disposal and ignored the tears in her eyes.

Parker's foot increased pressure on the gas of the van. Hardison's fingers stopped typing. He stared at the feed he brought up with wide eyes.

"She's gone," Hardison coughed.

He raced towards the front of the van and Parker turned. The hacker stumbled into his seat and buckled up. The thief didn't even acknowledge him. She was too busy driving and ignoring her tears.

Sophie fell towards the counter and latched onto anything to keep from falling down. She screamed at the fiery pain flaring in her stomach and throat. She felt herself gag on reflex. She quickly closed her mouth and shook her head. She would not show any signs she suffered. She would not do this to her team.

"No!" Nate screamed at the top of his lungs.

He was already running long before Moreau finished his stupid, evil speech. Eliot was behind him only a second later. They were closer than Parker and Hardison. They would make it in time. They had to. Sophie was dying.

"Hey man…" one street vendor tried to say. Nate didn't even glance at him. He just shoved him out of the way and picked up speed. He pumped his arms as hard as he could and just kept running. They needed to make it. He needed to make it.

Sophie stumbled against the wall and felt her whole world turn on its axis. She panted with the effort it was taking her to walk. She took a moment to blink away the tears and haziness. She had to go. They couldn't find her there. They couldn't hate that place. They needed her to leave their home. She couldn't die at home. She wouldn't.

Nate raced up the stairs three, four, maybe even five steps at a time. Eliot didn't know and he didn't care. The only thing of importance was that Nate was upstairs. He knew what to do.

"Nate!" Hardison called off. He and Parker swerved to the left when she made a mad dash for the right. They were going one hundred plus miles an hour and they still weren't close enough. They weren't going to make it and they both knew it. "Her last known location was the kitchen at home. Her comm went out there."

Nate burst through the apartment door seconds later. He stumbled into the room and stared at the kitchen with wide eyes. She wasn't there. He quickly scanned the downstairs portion and scowled at the lack of brown hair. He hopped towards the staircase and went upstairs. He needed to check the bedroom. He felt Eliot's presence downstairs behind him.

The mastermind raced towards his bed with hope in his chest. He rammed through his bedroom door and stared at the empty mattress in horror.

"Sophie's not here, Hardison!" Eliot growled into the comms. He bumped into the mastermind as he said it. The bed was empty except for the dressings and a note on a pillow. Eliot lunged for the pillow and Nate launched himself out the door.

Sophie slammed against the brick wall and felt another wave of pain. Her feet were sick of walking. She was sick of walking. All she wanted was to curl up into a ball and die with dignity. She couldn't do that here though. She had to gain some distance. She couldn't ruin home for the rest of her team. She had to get away.

"Nate!" Eliot chased after the mastermind as fast as his feet could carry him. "Nate, you don't even know where she's going!"

"To her apartment," Nate mumbled into the comms. He was searching through the crowd at top speed, ducking into every alley that he came across. He knew she was walking home.

"Why would she go there?"

"So she wouldn't ruin home for us," Nate spouted off. He was frantically searching for her. He had to find her. He couldn't let her do this.

"How far do you think she can get?" Eliot stared at him with wide eyes of terror.

"I've seen her jump from rooftop to rooftop with a bullet wound," Nate groaned. He turned into an alley and swore at the lack of brunette hair. "How far do you think she'll get with poison in her system?"

"On it," Eliot nodded. He was racing towards the other block just in case she made it that far.

Sophie slid against the cool brick wall completely spent. She didn't make it as far as she wanted to. She didn't even make it as far as she needed. She hid in the corner of the alley way and prayed to a God she didn't believe in. She prayed they wouldn't find her until it was already too late. She didn't want them to see her like this. She didn't want them to know. She wanted them to keep their happy memories. They didn't need to see her die.

Two rough, callused hands grabbed her from the side and pulled her towards a warm, comforting chest. She knew those hands. She knew that chest. She knew the soft cologne wafting through her senses. She knew the smell of alcohol on his breath she could never be rid of.

"No!" Sophie cried out in pain. She shook her head too. He couldn't see her like this. She wouldn't let him. He couldn't do this to himself, not after Sam.

"You're okay," Nate whispered into her ear. He repositioned himself so his back was against the wall. She was curled up in his arms and he was sitting Indian style. Her head was cushioned comfortably on his shoulder. He could even feel her shaking.

"Please go," Sophie moaned into his ear. She didn't want him to see this. She didn't want him to go through this with her. She didn't want him to watch her die.

"You're not dying alone, Sophie," Nate rasped towards her. He scowled at her too. He looked so angry at the idea of her dying alone. Then his features softened and he kissed her on the forehead. "I'm here."

He felt Sophie swallow and shake some more. He could hear her gasping breaths hammering into his ear. She was crying on his shoulder and it hurt him deep to know what was coming next. He couldn't save her but he could at least be there with her.

"I'm not going anywhere," he promised.

Sophie cried harder at his statement. She seemed to be crushed by it.

"I don't want you to…" Sophie gasped and tried to catch her breath. It took her far longer than it should have. She had to try a few times, "To see this."

"I don't want you to be alone," Nate cried. He then kissed her on the top of the head and smoothed away some of her tremors. She was already getting cold to the touch. They didn't have much longer.

"I love you," she whimpered into his ear. He felt his heart and stomach drop at the comment.

"I love you too," he admitted softly. He rubbed her back and made certain to stare her straight in the eyes. He wanted to see that life in her eyes.

"Tell…" her voice shook from the crying and lack of breath. It was absolutely the most terrifying thing in the world. It was even worse than Sam just not waking up. At least he was dreaming when his heart stopped. "Tell the team thank you..." she swallowed thickly and choked on her own tongue, "For giving me a second… second chance."

Parker's foot hit the brake right in the middle of the intersection. Hardison fell forward in his chair and the seatbelt pushed him back. They both ignored the honks and shouts aimed their way. They saw and heard nothing. Their only focus was on Sophie's very last breath.

Eliot stared at the bridge he was at and turned around. He knew where they were. His gut was telling him exactly where they were. He turned towards the mastermind's apartment and ran. He was going to find them. He had to find them.

Nate stared at the trembling grifter and felt his heart break. He burst into tears and stared at her. She was being so brave under such awful circumstances. Her brown eyes were growing darker every moment. He could literally see the life emptying from her eyes. He could even feel her heart rate slow.

"Soph…" he coughed out through a bundle of tears.

"Moira," she corrected softly. Her breathing was so hard to hear. She didn't have long at all. So he did the only thing he could.

"I love you, Moira," he promised in her ear. He pulled her up against him and kissed her on the forehead. He bobbed from side to side and pulled his hand through her hair. He kept his eyes glued to hers and refused to let her go.

"It's okay," she smiled at the statement. Buckets of tears were pouring from her eyes and her lip was trembling just as much as her body. "I prefer Sophie too."

He laughed and sobbed at her answer. He gently rubbed his thumb against her cheek and pulled her impossibly closer. Then he lowered his head and claimed her lips. He kissed her completely and with everything he had. He kissed her like there was no tomorrow because there wasn't a tomorrow, not for them. He kissed her the way he should have kissed her the first time he saw her outside that Chicago theatre. He kissed her and continued to kiss her even after he felt her very last breath fill his lungs. He kissed her even after he knew for certain she was gone.

"Nate?" Eliot touched the mastermind on the shoulder to get his attention. His voice shook with the pain of the truth. He knew it simply by the way the grifter was laying in his arms.

"She's gone," Nate cried out towards his best friend and hitter. He pulled the grifter closer and gingerly moved her face just to make sure. Her eyes were closed but there was no mistake. "She's gone, Eliot. Sophie's gone."

Hardison sat up in his chair. "No!" He shook his head in horror, "No!"

Parker's breathing became erratic and alerting. Her breaths were coming in short spurts and her eyes were steadily growing wide in panic. Her hands were shaking and her grip tightened on the wheel. She looked towards the hacker with stormy eyes and shook her head.

Hardison grabbed her hand and squeezed.

The hitter fell to his knees and shook his head furiously. He felt the air escape his lungs and the sting of tears on his eyes. His hands hit the pavement and started pulling him forward. He felt the jab of glass somewhere in his body but he ignored it. He crawled to the mastermind and yanked his arm out of his way. He grabbed onto the grifter and shook her. He shook his head and shook her again.

"Sophie!" He shouted at the grifter and shook her violently. Her head lolled back but she did nothing. The hitter slammed her into the mastermind's chest and immediately went for her wrist. He checked for a pulse and felt none. He grabbed her again. He would make her heart work.

"Eliot!"

Nate's hand was on his shoulder and pushed him away in an instant. The mastermind pulled the grifter towards his chest and gently rocked her back and forth. He cuddled his head into her neck and began to shake with sobs. He gently repositioned himself and kept her head perfectly supported. It was like he was holding a precious baby.

Nate's blue eyes rose from the dead brunette and landed on him with death and defeat.

"She's gone," he said, "My Sophie's gone."

"No!" Parker screamed at the top of her lungs. Tears were escaping from her eyes and the hacker couldn't blame her. He was crying as well. He just held up his hand and made a circle with it. Parker put the van in gear and drove off. The people they had blocked stared after them with annoyed faces. Hardison knew because he was watching out of the side mirror. He didn't care. He just flipped them off.

Eliot fell on his butt at the announcement. He stared at the mastermind and grifter dumbfounded. Sophie was dead and it wasn't even his fault. It was Moreau. It was Moreau and his need for revenge. It was Moreau and Nate. Nate loved her and that's why she died.

The hitter punched the mastermind square in the face and immediately ripped the grifter from his arms. Nate stared at him in confusion and curiosity. He didn't seem to care about the fact that he was punched in the face by his best friend. He was just grabbing for the dead grifter and getting frustrated that he couldn't hold her anymore.

"Eliot!"

"You killed her," Eliot growled. He delicately pulled the grifter up into his arms and cradled her close. His eyes stung with unshed tears, but he wouldn't cry. She needed him to be strong for the others. She needed him to take care of their team.

"Eliot, give her back," Nate's voice was desperate and dead. His eyes were zeroed in on the dead body and he completely ignored the blood dripping from his lips. He just wanted Sophie. He was just that messed up.

"He killed her because you loved her!" Eliot screamed towards him. It was the only thing he could say. It was the only thing keeping him sane. His friend died because their boss loved her. Frankly, it was the only reason the hitter didn't know what to do. He didn't know who to be angry at any more.

"Give her to me," Nate begged desperately. His voice was nothing but ice. His entire world apparently revolved around a dead body. He was even reaching for her. It was the most pathetic thing Eliot had ever seen. It was even the most romantic.

"Moreau killed her because you love her," Eliot mumbled. He carefully walked towards the mastermind and placed the grifter in his arms.

Nate snatched her away greedily. He held onto the dead grifter with careful hands and backed into the wall. He rocked her back and forth and rubbed his callused hands over her beautiful face. She was already turning blue. They were going to have to get out of there soon, with her of course. The mastermind wasn't going to leave without her.


	2. Explosion

2. _"I can find you. I can reach you. Perhaps I am watching you now," a white rose left by President Snow, __Mockingjay._

Parker struggled against the bars in futility. She kicked them and smacked them with her hands and feet in anger of the situation.

It was hopeless.

"Dammit!" Parker screamed at the bars, finally giving up on any hope of ever getting out of there alive and fine.

"Dammit!" Parker slapped the bars holding her in and tried to ignore the tears stinging her eyes.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She complained, sitting in the furthest corner away from the bars in disgust. She was trapped and there was nothing she could do about it. She was officially screwed.

"Parker, you're not stupid," Sophie cooed towards the panicking thief, soothingly as always. Her voice was the only calm one on the comms now. She had become the designated voice of reason because of it.

"Everything's going to be fine," she continued, "We're going to find you."

"Don't lie to her!" Hardison's muffled voice screamed fiercely through the grifter's comms. He was taken off of the comms a while ago. It was some time when he started throwing stuff and swearing up a storm. Or it was when he and Nate started fighting with their fists. It was a toss-up.

"I've tried a million times to find her and I can't," Hardison shouted through Sophie's comm. He must have been right up close to the grifter to be shouting that loud.

"Get away from her!" Nate's voice growled right afterwards. That wasn't good.

"We'll find her, Hardison," Sophie's strained voice chimed in immediately. Parker was starting to think she was in denial.

"Calm down," she finished softly.

"I know I'm dying, Sophie," Parker cringed at the sound of tears in her voice. Crying was always the most annoying thing in the world. It was a sign of weakness and she hated to be weak. Of course, the thief also had nothing to be strong about. She was dying and all.

"Don't you dare think that, Parker," Sophie growled into the comms. Apparently she wasn't as calm as she was pretending to be. "Everything's going to be alright," she said, "We've gotten through worse than this before."

"I'm watching the time tick away right now," Parker rolled her eyes at the grifter's statement, "It's bright red and telling me five minutes is all I have left. I think I'm screwed, Soph."

"No, Parker," Sophie cried out in dismay, "Don't think like that…"

"It's okay, Sophie," Parker smiled at her best friend's thoughts, "Can I talk to Hardison, please?"

"Hardison, she wants to talk to you," Sophie answered immediately. There was a brief sound of shuffling and then everything went quiet again.

"I'm here," Hardison announced quietly.

"I know," Parker sniffled. She didn't know why but that was probably the most comforting thing about all of this. She still had her comm which meant that she wasn't really dying alone. Her team, her hacker would be there talking to her until the very end. It was the only comfort she would get and she was going to absorb every minute of it.

Hardison swallowed and gasped back possible tears of his own. "How much time do we have left?" He asked.

Parker smiled despite herself and replied, "four minutes, twenty-three seconds and fifty-nine milliseconds."

"That long huh?" Hardison coughed, "Parker, there's something I have to tell you…"

"Don't," Parker shouted at the top of her voice. She sounded desperate and loud and really didn't care if anybody was still in the warehouse to hear her. She was dying and she was going to play by her own rules. Everybody else would just have to deal with it. She had a point to get across.

"Just don't," she whispered, "I already know."

His silence met her on the other line and it was highly disturbing and terrifying. She could practically imagine him pacing the room with his fists clenched and his eyes glazing with tiny droplets of tears. His nose was definitely flaring as he tried to take careful, slow, calming breaths to steady himself. He always hated it when she did stupid things and got herself into trouble. Why didn't she listen to him when she had the chance? She should have known it was a set up.

"You got any requests, Mama?" Hardison asked in one solid breath.

Parker smiled at that and did her best to keep the sad chuckle from escaping her lips. He was going to do anything she wanted. He really was her black knight in shining armor.

She swallowed, "Tell Archie he was the best father a girl could hope for. Be sure to tell him that, Hardison. He's going to blame himself for this and then he's going to blame Nate and I need you to make certain he knows the truth. This isn't his fault, Hardison! This isn't any of your faults."

Tears slipped down the thief's cheeks as she thought about the horrors her team would be going through soon. Nate was going to bury himself into the nearest bottle of alcohol and Sophie would be too busy trying to capture her own grief to stop him. Eliot was going to kill Moreau and then go on a blood bath because he couldn't save her. Hardison was going to have a broken heart. She was going to ruin them all and break them the way she always knew it would end. She should have left while she still had the chance. Now she's going to break them into a million pieces and they'll never be whole again. She should have called Hardison before she did anything stupid.

"It's not your fault either, Mama," Hardison remarked calmly. There he was reading her mind again in ways she never thought possible… or so exciting. She was going to miss him most. Hell, she was going to miss them all.

"Tell them to put their comms back in," Parker whimpered and moaned through thicker tears than before. She had never cried this hard before. It was a terrifyingly new experience.

"Are you sure?" Hardison asked softly. His voice showed just how ready he was to do as she asked. He was probably already motioning for everybody to tune in. He was such a good man.

"Please," Parker coughed into her comm, "I want to say good-bye."

"Okay," Hardison was practically nodding in reply. At least she could picture him nodding his head in agreement to her demands. Eliot had always said he was whipped or something relatively close to it. She never actually understood the meaning of that. It wasn't exactly important enough to find out now.

"They're on," he said. The familiar clicks of comms turning on confirmed his statement and Parker swallowed another lump in her throat. She wasn't sure if she could do this.

"Eliot," she asked immediately.

"Here," the hitter croaked. He sounded lost and confused. It was like he was standing there trying figure out a way of saving her when he knew it was absolutely hopeless. He had finally been defeated and it wasn't even because of something he did. He didn't deserve to go through this.

"It's not your fault," Parker ordered into the comms smoothly. She even managed to hide her tears by breathing slowly. "You did everything you could to keep me safe. I think you even bought twenty times the amount of time I was supposed to get so thank you for that."

There was an odd squeak on the other end that sounded quite a bit like Eliot had thought about laughing. Then he did laugh and his breath hitched at the knowledge. "I'd save you any time, Parker," he said, "You know that."

"Yeah," Parker nodded with a smile on her face, "I do. That's how I know this isn't your fault. If you could have saved me you would have so don't mope about it. You did a better job than anybody else in the world ever could. You're my friend and I don't really have very many of those. Six to be exact… unless you count Archie then it would be seven. But you're one of them and that's everything."

"It's been an honor," Eliot gasped.

Parker beamed at the statement, "My only regret, big brother, is that I never got you to jump off of a building with me!"

She imagined him rolling his eyes and crossing his arms at the idea of that being her only regret. Then a soft smile would slowly grow and consume his usual scowl until that was all that was left. Then his belly would shake with the chuckle pulling from his lips and his head would shake from side to side in exasperation.

"What's wrong with you?" He growled with sad affection.

"Nothing," Parker smiled at her own comedic flare, "at least that's what you keep telling me."

Eliot just scoffed into the comms in reply.

"Take care of them, please," Parker begged softly, "They're the only family I've got."

"We'll take care of each other, Parker," Nate's watery voice chimed in immediately.

"Nate," Parker gasped with happiness filling her stomach, "You came."

"Wouldn't miss this for the world," Nate joked. She could imagine the muscles in his cheeks slowly pulling his lips back into that weird semi-smile of his. His eyes were probably sparkling with red and tears and his cheeks were definitely rosy from the amount of alcohol in his system. His skin was probably pale with sadness and he had to be swaying from side to side just to keep himself standing still.

"You're the best," Parker crowed softly, "You did what Archie couldn't and thank you for that. I'm glad you would die for me and I know you want it to be you in here. But I'm not Sam and I don't deserve to be mourned with booze and anger. I just want you to remember me. I don't care about anything else just you remembering me is enough. Promise me you won't forget me."

"I promise," Nate didn't even hesitate to reply. His answer was literally as soon as she asked it. There was no pause and that was the coolest thing in the world. He really would steal the world to keep her and that was enough. He promised.

"You better make it good when you take him down," Parker growled towards him in her best Eliot Spencer, "just don't kill him. Sophie says it would be a very bad thing if you killed someone so don't."

"I won't," Nate said. Again, no hesitation.

"Besides," Parker grinned at the evil thought wandering around in her mind, "There are worse things than death. I'm sure you'll think of something."

"Oh, I've got a plan," the darkness in Nate's voice was oddly pleasing to her ears. His need for vengeance was going to happen because of her. She was something worthy to avenge. She was something worthy of getting the same love as Sam. Maybe she was wrong about being similar. Nate was a good mentor and all.

"It's going to be a good one, boss," Parker giggle-cried into the comms. Her eyes were tearing up again and she knew why. The grifter was next and there was so much to say.

"Sophie…"

"Don't," the grifter ordered sharply. The crispness of an accent that had only ever been heard a few times was now in her voice. The woman Sophie really is was talking to her now. This was Sophie's real voice. It was shocking to say the least.

"Please don't," the brunette demanded softly. She still sounded strong though, stronger than the rest of them really. But it was an act, Parker could tell now. The grifter had taught her to tell fact from fake. It was her turn to teach her mentor something though.

"It's okay to allow your emotions to show," Parker sniffled in understanding, "We're a family and families have each other's backs no matter what. You're allowed to cry, Soph. It's what makes us human."

The grifter made this noise that sounded somewhere between a huff and sneeze. "When did you get so brilliant," she demanded, her voice still coming out in that foreign accent that was definitely real.

"I learned from the best," Parker smiled at her own dramatic flair. She was going to miss this. She was going to miss them. She was going to miss everything about her family.

"It's still your job to take care of them," she said sternly, "They still need you, Sophie. Nate will always need you."

"You're the best little sister a girl could ever ask for," Sophie sniffled, "We won't let you be alone."

"I know," Parker nodded. She then moved towards the bomb and watched the red numbers as they dwindled lower and lower. Twenty-two seconds was all she had left with the world.

"Alec Hardison," she croaked as twenty flashed across the screen.

"I'm here, Mama," he responded immediately.

The numbers flashed to five then four then three then two.

"I love you," she said, the red time flashing one then…

Static.


	3. Knives

"…**a settled apathy, a gradual wasting away of the person, and frequent although transient affections of a partly cataleptical character…"** _Fall of the House of Usher, Edgar Allen Poe_

Eliot Spencer slashed another knife through the air without a care in the world. It happily sank right into the flesh of its retreating victim. The blood spurted everywhere the moment the hitter removed his fatal weapon and quickly wiped it off on his shirt. He turned towards the man strapped in a chair. The muscles of his face slowly grew into a crooked, humorless grin.

"Now," the hitter spoke softly taking special care in sharpening his knife with every move he made, "Where's Moreau?"

"I don't know where he is," the guy screamed. He was already in a panic and the fun hadn't even started yet. NO, his punishment wasn't nearly over and the fool knew it.

"I'm afraid I'm going to need more than that," Eliot sighed. He was cool and collected in his torturing techniques. He also had a secret weapon that made the guy in the chair screwed no matter which move he made.

"I swear," the man grumbled in despair. He was probably even wetting himself from the fear of what would come. In another lifetime the hitter would have found that hilarious. The man gulped. "I've never seen the man before in my life," he said, "I wasn't even involved in the hit."

"Massacre," Eliot snapped before he could even stop himself. He ground his teeth together at the little display of weakness. It didn't matter though. His victim was too busy worrying about his fate to even pay attention to what he was saying.

"Please," the guy whined without missing a beat, "I'm innocent. Please, just let me go. I have a wife and kids!"

"Let me be straight with ya," Eliot smiled the best smile he had, "It's not a matter of whether or not you get out of here alive."

The hitter paused and waited for his words to sink in. He watched as the guy's eyes grew wider with fear and his face began to sweat profusely. The realization was starting to dawn in his eyes and that was satisfying enough to continue.

"Because we both know you're not going to live," he continued as if he never stopped at all, "You're going to die because I am gonna kill ya. It's just a matter of how quickly and how much pain you'll be experiencing. Honestly, I'd go with something very quick with as little pain as possible. But that's just me."

The guy gulped and looked around at his fallen comrades with severe shakes racking his body. He was weighing the options and the hitter was willing to wait. Soon the guy would realize cooperation was in his best interest.

"Alright," the guy licked his lips and struggled to gain some strength, "I'll tell you."

Eliot smiled bitterly at the statement. "It's about time," he said.

Quinn stood outside the abandoned warehouse looking for all the world like an abandoned puppy. Well, in all fairness he looked like a grumpy puppy who was mad at his owner for taking away his favorite toy. That was probably because he was outside of the abandoned warehouse listening to guys screaming all night, and he wasn't the one who causing them. It just wasn't fair.

The warehouse door began to creak its way open and the smell of fire and blood started to fill the air. A muscular, short man with long locks of brown hair slowly marched his way out. Quinn immediately snapped to attention and raced towards the other hitter in eager anticipation of the news. Eliot Spencer met him half-way and both hitters worked their way towards their own private jet.

"You could have let me have some fun with the last one," Quinn mumbled. Okay, so he was really upset that he didn't get to hit anyone sue him.

"Your job is to pull me out when it gets too hot," Eliot replied not even slowing in his confident stride, "I told you when this started that this was personal and you wouldn't get to do a lot of hitting."

"Yeah but that last one was a screamer," Quinn said, "and you know how much I enjoy making people scream."

Eliot finally stopped and looked the younger man directly in the eyes. The two glared at each other for a matter of moments. A conversation much deeper than what appeared was happening in that gaze. They were both questioning their circumstances and what their next move would be. Finally, Quinn looked away.

"Next time you should pick someplace less," Quinn paused as he thought of the right word, "big. Your bonfires are starting to attract the wrong kind of attention."

Eliot turned towards the warehouse already engulfed in red flames of horror and misery. Thick black smoke was already curling through the sky. Fire trucks would be on their way soon. They were going to have to leave if they wanted to complete their mission.

"I told you before, Quinn," Eliot sneered at his glorious deed, "I don't care if I get caught."

"I know," Quinn nodded at the statement, "But this would all be for nothing if you get caught before taking out Moreau."

"That's what I have you for," Eliot said, squeezing the other hitter's shoulder in a sign of friendship that was anything but friendly.

"Were they really worth it?" Quinn demanded with no idea why he was even bringing the unspeakable up.

Eliot said nothing, but his fake smile dropped immediately. His blue eyes turned grey with the storms of the past clouding over them. Thoughts of the week his punishment was finally due were starting to fill his head. He quickly shook them away and focused on the plane behind him.

"He's in Haiti," he said when he was certain he could trust his voice to be steady. He wasn't too sure if he succeeded but Quinn wasn't saying anything about it. If he noticed the slight crack to his voice, he was staying silent and that was one of the many reasons why he was chosen for the job.

"Then let's go to Haiti," Quinn remarked. He was the first one to enter the private plane and he did so as if nothing was unusual. He knew the job and he was willing to work it. It wouldn't be the last time he would help a fellow hitter take vengeance into his own hands. It certainly wasn't the first.

Eliot soon joined him, propping his feet up on the table without a care. Then he nodded towards his companion. Quinn knocked on the cockpit door and took his seat at the other wing. Eliot was in one of his moods today and that meant space was all he needed and wanted.

Eliot Spencer stared out of the window and watched his plane take off. Well, he wasn't really watching the plane take off. He was fighting back memories and the nightmares that were just bubbling under the surface.

_He was walking into his apartment and didn't even notice the strangeness of it. He should have known something was off but he was concentrating on that night's meal. They were going to have roasted duck because Hardison and Parker were finally getting married. Well, their idea of marriage was a simple forged piece of paper and a month long trip to Hong Kong… and several other art museums and Parker/Hardison stuff. Anyway they were getting their act together and making each other happy. He was starting to put all of the stuff in the fridge when he heard the moan._

_The hitter's alarms were immediately registering everything he had missed before, things he wouldn't have missed if he hadn't spent every waking moment with his team mates. He remembered the splatterings of blood coming from his living room window. He remembered the way his bedroom door was closed to the point of only a tiny crack of space. He remembered seeing the tear of his curtain before he walked into the kitchen area. He even remembered the fact that his bedroom was cast in darkness and he always left that light on for protection purposes. Something was wrong._

_The moan sounded again and Eliot immediately went into action. He pulled out the biggest knife he had and pummeled the door down. He switched on the light with his knife waiting for the plunge of attack. Instead he only saw the mastermind lying on the floor with blood surrounding his shoulder._

_"Nate!" Eliot screamed and immediately he started pulling the mastermind onto the bed to make things more comfortable. He grabbed his emergency first aid kit and then stopped everything._

_The mastermind was covered from head to toe in blood, but he was breathing. How was he breathing? There was so much blood that the hitter couldn't even begin to identify the wounds. Nate was breathing though which meant that somebody else's blood had to be on him. It was only a question of whether or not it was somebody from the team's or an enemy's._

_The hitter started ripping off the shirt but the mastermind seemed to have other plans. Nate sat up straight and swung his fist towards his head. Eliot barely had time to duck the attack before the older man launched himself at him. There was something manic in his blue eyes that startled the hitter deep down in his soul. There was pure fear in his stomach but he kept that at bay. He had to reach out to his friend first._

_"Nate!" Eliot yelled because he was afraid his voice wouldn't be enough, "It's me. It's Eliot! I'm your friend and you're in my apartment!"_

_"Eliot?" Nate questioned, his manic eyes slowly starting to clear of the fear._

_"You're safe," Eliot nodded as he tried to keep his voice calm. The panic was starting to set into his bones. Something bad had happened, something very bad._

_"Safe," Nate huffed out, trying to comprehend the meaning of the word. His blue eyes were still pretty cloudy but he was at least calming down. He wasn't punching and he wasn't frantically looking for an exit. That had to be a good sign, right?_

_"You're safe," Eliot repeated breathing in and out to calm himself and the mastermind all in one go._

_"Safe," Nate confirmed. He took a deep breath and grinned drowsily at the idea of safe. He slumped a bit on the bed and started grinning in relief. Then his eyes suddenly flashed with pure fear and he screamed, "Sophie!"_

_Eliot braced himself against the mastermind's strength immediately. He pushed him back into the bed and held him there as punches started flying away again. His worst fear was slowly being confirmed. The grifter was probably involved in whatever happened to the mastermind._

_"Eliot, they have her!" Nate struggled against him in pain and agony, "They have her! They have them all!"_

_"Nate," Eliot spoke softly to his friend, "Nate!"_

_The mastermind looked at him for the first time since he arrived. He blinked a couple of times and took in his surroundings with clear eyes. He stared at the hitter for a long time as his breaths slowly regulated back to normal. Then he burst into tears._

_Eliot jumped back at the odd show of emotion. He looked around in confusion trying to figure out what to do next. Emotion was not something the mastermind ever showed. Crying was on top of the list of things he never did._

_He swallowed thickly at the mastermind's apparent breakdown. "What happened?" He asked._

_Nate wiped away at his tears and started breathing against them. He gulped back a horrendous sob and then looked the younger man directly into the eyes._

_"They hit Parker first," Nate stammered out in apparent shock or something relatively close to it, "I think they killed her instantly."_

_Eliot's stomach dropped right on out of his throat. Heart squeezed itself to death and his brain refused to file the information properly. "What?" He gasped out in horror._

_"I hope she died instantly," Nate cried out in pain, "Hardison was still alive when I managed to get away. I wanted to help him but I couldn't. Somebody had to warn you."_

_Eliot felt his knees collapse right under him. His butt smacked right into his carpeted floor and he barely even felt it. He couldn't even breathe. His world was crashing down around him and there was nothing he could do._

_"I heard quite a few gun shots go off after I got away," Nate continued. He was stuck in his own little world too. The clouds were back over his eyes and Eliot didn't even have the energy to snap him back this time around._

_"I'm pretty certain they killed him too," the mastermind said, "They just took Sophie and shot at me and tried to beat me to death. I don't know why but they said they wanted you and Sophie alive. I think they're going to turn her into their own personal sex slave."_

_"Don't!" Eliot howled at the flat tone the mastermind was speaking in. He knew exactly where his friend was going and it wasn't pretty. "Don't you dare give up hope on her," he said, "She's a fighter. We'll get her back."_

_"I know you will," Nate smiled at his friend's suggestion, "It was Moreau."_

_Silence filled the room at those words. It was probably the worst news in the world. Revenge had always been a possibility and they were making plans to prevent. Their plans just weren't enough. Their planning was for absolutely nothing. Hardison and Parker were gone and Sophie was as good as dead as well. They were barely all that was left._

_"Bring her home, Eliot," Nate ordered softly, "Please, bring her home."_

_"I promise, Nate," he replied in hollow voice he didn't even recognize as his own, "I promise."_

Nate hadn't even lasted through the night. His wounds weren't as fatal as his willpower. He had given up the moment he heard those gunshots. Hell, the only reason Eliot made it through that night was because he promised to rescue the grifter. Of course he failed at that plan too. So instead he would avenge them and kill their murderer.

"What happens after?" Quinn asked softly in his little corner.

Eliot turned towards him and considered his words carefully.

"Nothing," he replied, "There is no after. There's just blood, Moreau's blood."

Quinn nodded at the statement. He could live with that. He would get paid for his work. Eliot was a man of his word on that front. He would get his money and one of the greatest hitters in the history of the world would just travel the planet in a mindless thirst for something nobody could ever give him. He would probably avenge those wronged like he did with his team, but he was now a member of the walking dead. His vengeance was the only thing tying him to the living. It would be a sad when Moreau died. Eliot Spencer would be going with him.


	4. Rope

"**Holding my last breath/ safe inside myself/ are all my thoughts of you/ sweet raptured light it ends here tonight…" **_Holding My Last Breath by Evanescence_

Rope; Alec Hardison had never expected to ever know the feeling of it against his throat. The young hacker struggled harder against the rough plastic cutting its way into his neck. He felt it burning against his flesh and he could almost swear he was hearing the evil rope slicing into his throat the more he struggled. His eyes were tearing up at the horrid feeling and panic was finally beginning to settle into his chest. Breathing had become a challenge the moment they kicked the chair right out from under him. He should have known better, honestly. All they had to do was tell him that Parker was in trouble and he came running. He never stood a chance.

Parker; she would be crushed when she discovered his end. Her beautiful blue-grey eyes would fill to the brim with tears of sadness and heart-ache. Her cute bottom lip would pout out and wriggle as she tried to contain the emotions bristling through her. Her soft, soft hands would tremble at the need to contain herself. Her blond hair would swish from side to side as she shook her head to angrily block away the truth. Then she would probably scream and curse and plead for the others to tell her it wasn't real, to tell her that it was just some horrible mistake; that he wasn't dead.

Hardison struggled harder against the tightening rope as the visions of the beautiful blonde thief filled each of his senses. But it was already too late. His last minutes were beginning to wane as the fire in his lungs started to become bone-crushingly awful. His jaw flared with the white hot pain of supporting most of his weight. His throat ached and stretched at the horrible sensation of being the only thing going against gravity. There was blood in his mouth from the first jolt of gravity. His teeth had pierced his tongue. Those teeth used to smile anytime Eliot growled at him for any reason at all.

Eliot would blame himself for what happened. The hitter would take the weight of the world onto his shoulders for vengeance too. He would make certain Parker took care of herself. He would probably even be the one to deliver the news. He better name a sandwich or beer or something after him though. The brewery and restaurant were bought for him and all. Hopefully he would feel enough guilt to keep it open and running. That way the great and terrible Eliot Spencer wouldn't lose his love of cooking. It would be the best way for him to remember his best friend, Alec Hardison hacker extraordinaire. He would be fine… eventually.

Hardison tried to sniffle back the tears falling from his eyes but it was a useless endeavor. His throat wasn't working anymore. He couldn't even feel it to get it to swallow. It was actually a relief. He didn't feel the burning fire of pain going up and down his neck anymore. It was perfectly numb and terrifyingly okay with him. It was probably why Nate always drank bourbon by the bottle. The burning liquid probably numbed every time it went down. He probably wouldn't even acknowledge his hacker's passing.

No, Nate would be too busy drinking himself into another bottle of booze or worse. The mastermind wouldn't be able to handle losing another son. The hacker just wished he had done something more for him to be proud of. He could have been the next Nathan Ford and passed on the Leverage legacy. He could have done everything for the mastermind that Sam Ford would never be able to achieve. Well, at least he was going to meet the boy who began a family of thieves. That was something, right?

Hardison blinked away the tears now. His vision was getting foggy and he thought that would help. It didn't. His vision was slowly growing whiter and white with each passing second. His fingers were just hanging loosely in the air. He couldn't even remember when they stopped trying to remove the rope around his neck. Hell, he couldn't even remember when the last time he actually filled his lungs was. Maybe that was what Sophie was picturing when she faked her death.

The grifter definitely wouldn't mourn him. Why would she? They weren't all too close or anything. It was a shame too. He should have worked on getting to know her better. Well, he did look up her name as soon as she told him it. She probably knew about it too and just didn't seem to care. She was really cool that way. Sophie Devereaux would definitely help the others get through it though, if she stuck around. Maybe she wouldn't be able to glue Parker and Nate together again. She could help Eliot at least. Yeah, she wouldn't leave. She would stay to help everybody and regret that their relationship was almost non-existent. He really should have worked harder on that.

Hardison rolled his eyes at the sudden cliché of darkness filling his eyes. It would figure that he would enter into dark oblivion right before he died. At least there wasn't that whole stupid life flashing before his eyes thing. No, he just got the usual darkness with a few flashes of blonde hair.

Parker! She was there. He could see her standing right there in front of him. She was shaking his body and crying. She was screaming. Why was she screaming? She was just holding onto her hacker and yelling at him. What was with the yelling? It wasn't his fault he couldn't wake up. He wasn't even in his own body. He was just a bystander watching her shake his… Oh! He was dead. He died. He was dead and he didn't even get to say good-bye. Nobody got to say good-bye. Now he was just hanging out, waiting for some sign that he was supposed to move onto somewhere else. There was a light. That had to be where he was supposed to go. So he stepped towards it and then there was nothing but light.


	5. Heart

**"If I smile and don't believe/ Soon I know I'll wake from this dream/ Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken/ Hello I am the lie living for you so you can hide" **_Hello by Evanescence_

"That a boy, Nathan. You can do it, son," Jimmy Ford encouraged. He was standing directly behind Damien Moreau with a smile plastered firmly on his face. He was even blocking the man's exit strategy out of the pier. There was only one way this would end for him.

"Tell me!" Nate screamed at the man before him. He was holding a gun with his hand firmly planted on the trigger and Damien Moreau at his mercy.

They were on a pier, of course, somewhere in Boston because it had to be Boston. Moreau had to defile Portland so it was only fair that Nate would get to rewrite Boston. He didn't want to taint San Lorenzo. He couldn't taint San Lorenzo.

The waves were crashing against the wooden pillars of the pier. The seagulls were singing in the wind. It was a nice warm, sunny day with the perfect matching breeze of peace and serenity. But there were clouds on the horizon, dark clouds that would serve the mastermind's purpose perfectly. It was the perfect end.

"Tell me what you did!" Nate shouted again. He felt his lip curl upwards in a snarl and tried to hold back the anger. He had to know before this was over. He had to know it all.

"Tell you what?" Moreau demanded in that smug way of his. There was no fear in his black eyes. There was no regret, no mercy. They were just cold, dead eyes. And they were worth nothing but pain and sorrow. Those eyes were going to be filled to the brim with fear soon. Nate was going to make sure of it.

The mastermind fired off a shot. He aimed it somewhere near his nemesis' ear and fired off. Moreau didn't even duck but there was a spark, a tiny flare of the fear to come. It was all that needed to be done. His fate was about to be sealed.

"Come on, Nathan," Jimmy cheered from the side-lines, "Teach him a lesson he'll never forget."

"Don't play with me, Moreau," Nate threatened. He was already dangerously close to pulling the trigger. He had to control himself. He needed to know what happened before he finished the scum off. He had to know how it ended. He needed to know how they suffered.

"Oh," Moreau laughed. That's right, he laughed. He chuckled at the mastermind's desperate plea to know the truth. He didn't get the seriousness of the situation. He actually thought he was going to leave the dock alive. Nate didn't like that.

He was suddenly right in front of Moreau. He picked him up with his free hand and shoved his gun into his nemesis' throat. Then there was a flicker of fear in those black eyes, eyes that had no right to even share the same color as another, softer pair.

"Tell me everything," Nate spat into the man's face. He couldn't help it. His temper was flaring. He had to do something while he waited. He would burst if he didn't.

Moreau's smile returned to his face at the desperation. He knew he still held power, however limited it was.

"Are you sure you want to know all of it?" He asked. His smirk was so smug Nate almost pulled the trigger just to blow it off. So he hit him.

"Everything," Nate smiled. He took the gun away from his enemy just enough to say it was there. He didn't want the cocky S.O.B. to think he was going to get off the hook.

"Where shall we start?" Moreau shrugged in reply. He was acting like this was a normal business dealing or something even remotely similar.

Nate punched him again because it made him feel better. Then he fired off another shot into the air just to show he knew what he was doing.

"Nate!" Sophie called out softly. The look of fear and worry was so plainly written all over her beautiful face. The disgust was only buried deep within her eyes. If this were a normal day, she wouldn't put up with what was happening.

"Not now!" Nate hissed towards her. He kept his dark blue eyes trained on Moreau.

"Tell me how you killed her. Tell me how you killed Sophie," he said.

"She was my favorite," Moreau smiled wider at the memory. He was being cruel now. He knew what kind of torture he was creating. He soon would know he was going to die too.

"She fought me at first," he explained, "I had started by kissing her. She bit my lip."

"That's my girl," Nate snarled back immediately. There would be none of Moreau's satisfaction at that moment.

"I plunged a knife into her stomach in retaliation," Moreau raised an eyebrow towards his enemy, "after, of course."

Nate punched the man again.

"That's my boy," Jimmy grinned.

"Nate," Eliot shook his head at him, "Ya gotta stop this. He's not worth it."

"I took great, gentle care in taking my knife back out of her," he said, "She didn't even make a sound. She was so silent that I had to slide my knife into her again. I only got a whimper and two black eyes of defiance. So I kissed her again and worked very hard at getting her to scream my…"

Nate punched the man again. "That's enough," he said.

Moreau glared at his captor. His eyes looked dead all of sudden. Of course, that was probably because he was spitting up blood and teeth from being punched in the face five times now.

"Nate, please," Sophie whimpered, "Don't do this."

"Listen to Sophie, Nate," Eliot begged simply, "You don't want to do this."

"Tell me about Eliot, now," the mastermind replied. His eyes were locked on Moreau with great intensity now.

"Spencer was taken care of with a bullet in the head from my best man," Moreau reported simply.

"Coward," Parker huffed. She was standing beside Jimmy and looking for all the world like she was bored to tears. Knowing Parker she probably was too.

"Hit him again, son," Jimmy encouraged. He even nodded his head and laughed at the thief's statement.

"Nate, man," Hardison shook his head disapprovingly, "Don't do this."

"You couldn't even do it yourself?" Nate grimaced at the noise going on around him. His hand was beginning to shake with the effort of not shooting their murderer. He wasn't going to make it at this rate. He had to gain the control before it was too late.

"I was preoccupied with making certain your thief and hacker couldn't rescue your grifter," Moreau smiled serenely. He was at least officially aware that he was going to die now. That was a plus.

"How did it happen?" Nate closed his eyes and then immediately forced them open. He couldn't give Moreau the chance to escape. He had to kill him. He had to do it for them, for all of them.

"Nate, just end it," Eliot growled, "You're only making it worse."

"Eliot's right, man," Hardison nodded, "Forget about us. Take care of him."

"Shoot the bastard, dead," Parker grinned at the idea.

"Make me proud, son," Jimmy nodded happily.

"How did it happen?" Nate ground his teeth together. He couldn't snap at them. They were only trying to help. They didn't want him to suffer. It was too late anyway. He was already suffering. That was why he was on a pier in Boston with a gun pointed at Damien Moreau.

"I placed an explosive in his computer and had it go off with a specific button," Moreau said. He seemed suddenly very bored with the conversation. He was quite afraid yet, just resigned. NO, he needed to be afraid.

Nate fired off another round. This time it went directly into his nemesis' leg. Blood was spouting from the bullet wound and seeping onto the pier in a magnificent river of red. It was a beauty to behold. The pain on Moreau's face said everything. The mastermind got a major artery.

"Nate, please stop," Sophie stammered out. There were tears falling from her wonderful face now. She was standing in front of him and begging him to end the blood bath now. It took everything had not to look up at her.

"That's bullet number three, Moreau," Nate giggled. He was opening up his gun and pouring bullets into the chamber as he spoke. There was a sick smile of relief and satisfaction starting to blossom upon his face. The end was near and he had the right number of bullets to finish the job.

"Now there's five," he smiled, "And that was a major artery. I don't even have to shoot to kill anymore. I can end it right now and just let you bleed out on the pier. I'm being nice. You should take pride in that."

"There's still a chance," Moreau grimaced in pain. His eyes were wide and wild with fright now. He knew what was coming next. He knew his end was near; and boy was it going to be painful.

"Nate, you don't have to finish this," Eliot begged desperately, "Just go. Leave him be."

"There's no chance!" Nate shouted for all to hear, "There's just me, my gun and your blood. There is no chance for you, Moreau!"

"Then, why should I tell you what happened to your little thief?" Moreau hissed in scorn. Apparently he didn't like the fact that he had been shot to the point where death was his only option.

"Nate, end this now!" Hardison shrieked, "You've already killed him, man. Just shut up and leave!"

"Because you will die quicker," Nate calked his gun and grinned. He wasn't going to leave. He was going to see this through to the very dark end.

"That's my boy," Jimmy crowed on cue as always, "Make your old man proud. Plug him, son."

"Your thief struggled too," Moreau licked his lips in frustration. His eyes were fluttering at the loss of blood but he was spitefully holding on. He wanted this over as soon as possible too.

"She killed three of my men before we had successfully strangled her with her own rope," he laughed. Blood was pouring from his body freely now and it created a creepy moment in time. It was almost angelic with the black clouds rolling joyously over their heads. It was perfectly symbolic.

"I'm sure they cheated somehow," Parker growled. The crazy flare was starting to envelope her eyes now. Her fingers were twirling at her sides too. She was just itching for the blood bath to continue.

Nate smiled at his thief's eager anticipation. She was not going to be disappointed. So he raised his gun and aimed for another piece of flesh. The chest seemed like a very fun idea.

"She screamed for you!" Moreau suddenly shouted out of nowhere, "Your precious grifter begged for you every moment of the torture. She refused to say anything but your name. You were the only thing falling from her lips during her dying breath."

Nate's smile faded immediately. His face just dropped into a tight frown and he changed the aim of his gun. He fired without even pausing in his efforts.

Moreau howled in pain at the sudden blow to his lower region. His pelvis felt like it was on fire at the brutal treatment. His hands were shaking and his vision had to be blurring. The scream was by far the sweetest sound the mastermind had ever dreamed of.

"Ouch," Parker winced appreciatively. Her crazy grin was now firmly glued to her lips. She knew exactly what was coming next. Her vengeance was about to finally be realized.

Hardison closed his eyes and gagged. He then turned around and rolled his eyes.

"I'm leaving," he said, "You know I can't handle the icky stuff, man. That's just… that's just too awful for words. Even Eliot wouldn't be that cruel."

Eliot shook his head and fought hard against the smile pulling at his cheeks.

"It's very poetic," he grinned. Then his face fell into one of pure sadness and acceptance. "Are you happy now? You might as well finish this while you're at it."

Nate raised his gun and pointed it once again. This was it. He was finally going to end this once and for all. He was going to set them free.

"Go ahead, son," Jimmy commented playfully, "End it."

"Please," Sophie whispered.

Nate stopped immediately. He dropped his hands and just stopped. The grifter was standing right behind him now. He could feel her hand just barely touching his shoulder. He could still smell her perfume. He could even feel her breathe tickling his ear. Her soft lips were right there, whispering to him softly.

"Stop this now before it's too late," she begged, "Don't do this. Just leave. You don't have to avenge us. You don't have to sacrifice what's left because he took us away. Find Maggie and forget. You can still start over. Your hands aren't completely covered in blood, not yet. Please Nate, just don't."

Nate closed his eyes at the soft voice of the grifter. He felt a small smile pull at his lips and almost let it take over. But he couldn't leave. It was already too late. His hands were already bloodied. They were drenched the moment Moreau set her cold, dead, innocent, gorgeous body onto their bed in wait for him to discover it. He had nothing left to live for, not anymore.

"Just walk away," Sophie pleaded, "Just let him go."

"Stop it!" Nate demanded harshly. He twirled around, his gun now pointed at Moreau and ready for action. He stared at the grifter with betrayal on his features and tears accidentally falling from his eyes.

"Don't you dare tell me to let him go!" He shouted at the grifter with everything he had, "Don't you dare tell me not to kill him! He tortured you! He killed you! He killed all of you!"

"That's no reason to take his life, Nate," Sophie cried sadly, "You know you can't kill him. An eye for an eye makes nothing but the blind. You know this. Please, just go away!"

"I can't," Nate whimpered softly, "I can't let him get away with your murder. I won't let him get away with what he did to our team!"

"So you'll let him wash your hands in blood instead?" Sophie shouted towards him in disdain. She looked so angry and hurt the mastermind almost dropped his gun right then and there, but the damage was already done. He had to finish this. He had to end this. God, she looked so beautiful when she was angry. He had almost forgotten that.

"Just shut up and pull the trigger!" Parker growled. There was a pout on her wonderful face now. She looked disappointed at the lack of extra blood pouring from Moreau. Nate always hated it when she wore a frown.

"Good idea, Parker." Nate turned towards Moreau and ignored the look of betrayal coming from the grifter. He just focused on his target, the thief and his father.

"I can't watch this," Eliot shook his head. Then he disappeared just like Hardison had. They both wouldn't stay here and watch him destroy himself further. They couldn't.

"Come on, son," Jimmy coached him softly. It was like he was eight years old again and they were just playing catch. He smiled at the fond memory.

"You can do it. Just keep both eyes open and pull the trigger."

Nate listened to his father and made his aim true. The heart would be his point of attack. It would give Parker the biggest splash of blood she could ever dream of. She would probably even squeal and applaud at the gore.

"Look him dead in the eyes, son," Jimmy continued softly, "You don't want to shoot a man without looking him in the eyes. He'll think you were a coward if you don't look him straight in the eyes. It's an honor thing."

"Come on and pull the trigger," Parker called, "He killed us. He deserves to die."

"Please," Sophie's voice cut through as it always would, "just let him go."

Nate hesitated once again at her order. He knew he had to do it soon. Moreau was about to die from the blood loss and their vengeance would mean nothing. He would fail them if he didn't do it now. But Sophie's words were always speaking to his better side, the good man that used to be Sam's father.

"I'm sorry, Soph," he finally cried.

"Is she as beautiful a hallucination as she was in real life?" Moreau asked curiously, "I did enjoy her beauty while she was my play toy. Tell me, did she always have a-"

Crack!

Nathan Ford pulled the trigger on the gun without a moment of hesitation. His aim was true and his enemy fell to the ground instantly. The rain began to fall just as Damien Moreau's head hit the wooden pier floor. Moreau was dead. Vengeance was theirs at last.

"It's done," Nate chimed towards his lover immediately. He felt the shame of disobeying her wishes, but that was it. He didn't feel ashamed of killing her killer. He didn't feel an ounce of remorse or regret for what he had done. He just felt empty now. It was like his story was finally complete.

Sophie's eyes filled with tears. Her cheeks were streaked with their hateful marks. Her lips were pursed against the emotions riding within her. Her hands were held in soft fists but it was her head that held the mastermind's fascination. Her wonderful head was shaking from side to side in horror of what she had witnessed. But she was still there and that was a miracle he was willing to take. He felt a rough pat on his back and turned around.

"You did good, son," Jimmy smiled at him. He was now right in front of him, so real he could almost feel him.

"You defended your family to the end," he said, "I'm proud of you for that."

Nate opened his mouth to reply but it was already too late. Jimmy Ford was gone. He disappeared the moment he finished his most bizarre words. Parker was now standing in his wake with a stone cold expression.

"Go home, Nate," she said, "You earned it."

Then she too was gone. The mastermind twirled towards the grifter in fear that she had abandoned him as well. She hadn't. She was still standing there mourning the man he had once been. She probably always would be.

"I'm going home now," Nate admitted sheepishly. He was surprised that she nodded her head in reply. He was even more astonished to see her look into his eyes and not despise him. It was probably the only proof he would ever have that she wasn't real. The real Sophie Devereaux could never bear to look at him after he took a life.

The mastermind turned back towards the exit and started walking. He took one step towards the broken body of Damien Moreau and winced. He looked down at the gun in his hands and grimaced. He looked to his left and then his right. He closed his eyes and threw it in the direction he felt had the deeper water. He waited for the soft plunk of it falling into the ocean and opened his eyes. He looked past his victim and saw the black rental. He took a step and then another and then another.

Nathan Ford had managed to take a total of five more steps before a great pain enveloped his heart. He grabbed at his chest as fire erupted within his soul. He fell to his knees at the fierceness of it. It was so hard to breathe. It was so hard to move. There was nothing but Sophie and the pain; and Sam.

"Sam…" Nate choked on his son's name. His baby was standing right in front of him looking like a beautiful angel. His little boy wore a frown and his little forehead was furrowed in worry.

"It's alright, Daddy," Sam said, "You'll be fine. It will only hurt for a little while."

Nate winced in agony of the fire in his chest. His brow furrowed and he looked towards Sophie for an explanation. For some reason he knew she would have the answer. She always had before.

"It's okay, Daddy," Sam replied. His little hand was on his father's shoulder now. He looked a little happier than before.

"Soph," Nate cried out in disbelief. He looked towards the grifter for a sign of what was happening. He just couldn't understand.

"It's time to go home, Nate," she said. Her hands were suddenly touching his face and they were real. It felt so good that the mastermind just let it happen. He just put all of his weight and trust into Sophie and Sam. He knew he was in good hands.

His angels were bringing him home.

**A/N:** _Wait, there's more. Review, please._


	6. Just Kidding!

"**Candy gram, candy gram for Mongo," **_Sheriff Bart, Cleavon Little, Blazing Saddles_

Nathan Ford, Sophie Devereaux, Alec Hardison, and Eliot Spencer stared at their thief with wide, open mouths. They each were wearing looks of complete shock and horror. Well, the boys were wearing faces of shock and horror; the grifter seemed kind of impressed.

Parker stared back at her team in confusion. "What?" she asked.

"You think Nate is going to have a heart attack after killing Moreau?" Eliot questioned softly. His face was slowly forming into a scowl at the thief's manic story.

"Well obviously because he's not a huge fan of killing people and we'll all be dead anyway," Parker shrugged. She didn't see what the big deal was. Of course Nate would suffer bitterly after all of that stress.

"Does anybody else find it seriously wrong that she thinks Nate would end up sober if we all died?" Hardison demanded immediately. The hitter just scowled at him while the mastermind and grifter kept their faces focused on the thief.

"So I'm literally going to demand to know everything that happened to you guys before I kill him?" Nate raised an eyebrow at the thief's logic.

"It's more psychotic that way and we all know that you're creepier when you're sober," the thief said.

Nate took a moment to think about those words. He shrugged his head and lifted his favorite scotch into the air for a drink.

"Makes sense," he agreed with a smile on his face. Eliot's scowl turned to him and his mouth opened to comment on the subject.

"So," Sophie interrupted excitedly, "Have you always had this flare for the dramatic or did it just start to blossom out of nowhere?"

Eliot turned towards the grifter, scowled and said, "Seriously?"

Then he turned his attention on each and every member of his team in complete and utter fascination. "None of you are disturbed with the fact that she put this much thought into how Moreau would bring revenge down on Nate?"

Sophie turned a glare of her own on the hitter. "You're the one who thinks I'm going to get poisoned, hide it from everybody and then go die in some dirty street alley," she said.

The hitter's face immediately turned sober at the statement. "Point taken," he said.

"So why does Nate think I'm going to get my neck stretched?" Hardison demanded casually. He seemed the second most relaxed out of the five of them over this conversation. Well, four technically because Sophie was a little too excited over this whole conversation.

"Because you said I would be the one to survive the longest in the event that Moreau came after us to punish Eliot," Nate replied casually. He then polished off his glass of scotch and poured himself, and Sophie, another drink.

"Anybody else bothered by the fact that Sophie, the grifter of this crew, didn't put too much effort into thinking about what would happen to Parker?" Eliot demanded immediately, "I mean she took three seconds to actually get her story together."

Sophie roughly grabbed her glass of scotch and glared at every single member of her team before replying. "Parker likes explosives it's not brain surgery or anything."

"That still doesn't explain why Nate will be sober in the event we all die," Hardison pointed out softly.

"Because he would need to be sober in order to kick Moreau's ass," Eliot rolled his eyes at the hacker's comment, "It's the same reason Moreau would use Parker to get to you and why Sophie would be poisoned via Nate's alcohol. It's how he works."

"Again, still not getting why I die instead of him in that scenario," Sophie waved her hand around angrily.

"Yeah, I would die before her there," Nate agreed with a smile. Then he poured his girl and himself another drink.

"Because Sophie is the only member of the team who buys wine and vodka," Eliot commented slowly, "Moreau would know that and use that to his advantage. Besides he wouldn't care if he got Nate in the process. He was a bad guy before we took him down. He'll be a very angry bad guy when he gets out."

"If he gets out," Parker chimed in excitedly. Okay, she was now officially the happiest person in the room about their current discussion. That was weird.

"Parker, is there a specific reason you asked us what would happen if Moreau decided to get revenge on us?" Hardison questioned slowly. He was getting this weird feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I was just curious if you guys thought we were totally doomed too," Parker shrugged.

Then an argument ensued because Nate and Sophie were making out at the table. Yep, just a normal night at the Leverage family table.


End file.
